Feipu dei Massaretti, Liguria

Located in the Ligurian Riviera at Albenga, between the hills and the Mediterranean sea, Cascina Feipu dei Massaretti is a producer of classic Pigato, along with local reds Rossese and Granaccia. The cantina was founded by Agostino and Bice Parodi who first planted Pigato in 1965. Pigato is the local white grape, a relative of Vermentino but more aromatic and with darker skins.

They own 5.2 hectares plus rent a further 0.8 hectares. The Pigato is planted both on the alluvial sandy flats in Albenga, within a radius of 1km of the cantina, and on the schistous slopes of the hills 13 km inland.

They started bottling during the 1970s. Their son-in-law Mirco Mastroianni joined the cantina in 1997, along with a new winemaker. In 1996 and 1997 they tried ageing the wines in barriques but soon found this compromised the purity of the Pigato, which is now vinified only in stainless steel. They avoid malolactic conversion to retain fresh acidity.

Two Pigato Riviera Ligure di Ponente wines are made by Massaretti: one, a fleshy Pigato from the alluvial soils close to the cantina, the other a more focused, minerally example called ‘La Palmetta’ compromised, almost exclusively, of fruit from the more demanding stony soils of the coastal hills behind Albenga. ‘La Palmetta’ was first made in the 2006 vintage